By: Sally Siko- Admin Birdwatching NC

Spotted quite a few dark-eyed Juncos this morning before the rain moved in.

Here in central N.C., many call them “Snowbirds” since the first flocks of winter migrants arrives along with the push of late November cold fronts.
The Dark-eyed Junco is similar to many other sparrows in its diet and foraging habits.
Their wintertime diet is primarily weed and grass seeds but occasionally they’ll eat small fruits and waste grains.
On a year-round basis, the diet is usually made up by three-quarters seeds and about one quarter insects.
Juncos display a variety of foraging behaviors, including gleaning, pecking, and scratching in the leaf litter in search of seeds and insects. During the winter, they’ll form large mixed flocks, often in the company of Chickadees, Cardinals, Sparrows, and Goldfinches, banding together to crowdsource food gathering efforts with other species of birds.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds